Health changes to combat anxiety

Much of my family, including myself, have always struggled with anxiety and depression. I didn't know that was what I was experiencing until a little more than a year ago. Since then, I have taken a number of steps to try to improve my mental and physical health and combat this very manageable condition.

When I discovered that I was battling anxiety last year, I started seeing a therapist for about 8 months and worked through a lot of issues in life that could be causing my anxiety. Near the end of my time in therapy, I did 55 days of the Whole30 diet, and experienced some relief from my anxiety, as well as some needed weight loss. I quickly slipped back into old eating habits and was not keeping a consistent workout or sleep schedule. I began feeling more anxious than ever before and powerless to change anything. It was negatively affecting my relationships and feelings about myself and others.

In July, I began to make some changes that I had never made before and have seen more progress in a month and a half than in years of halfheartedly guessing what I should change. Here is what I did.

1. Cut out caffeine. Completely.

I cannot stress enough what a difference this has made for me. I was really skeptical (addicted) and I didn't think it would make a difference. I cut caffeine out 6 weeks ago and I will not start drinking it again. I thought that because I only drank one or two cups of coffee each day that I was in pretty good shape. No addiction. When I stopped drinking caffeinated tea and coffee, I had massive headaches (I never have headaches), I took naps every day after work, and I generally felt sluggish and off. After about a week and a half or two weeks, I got over the withdrawal. I felt like myself again.

The best and biggest change was that I was not overreacting to things like I did before. I felt more calm and was able to think through things before responding to people. I am a nicer person to be around.

2. Start working out. Hard.

I signed up for a workout class and started working out 5 days a week, and walking or running on the off days. Trust me, I was as out of shape as I could be (and overweight to boot). The first week, I felt like death. More sore than I have ever been. The second week, I skipped a day and justified how I would quit at the end of the month. The third week, I felt AWESOME and, suddenly, I began truly enjoying mornings. I have never been a morning person, but I am now. I just completed my 5th week of training at my gym and I couldn't be happier. I work harder than I knew I could and I have seen muscles begin to make an appearance, too.

3. Cut out sugar. 

To be honest, I don't know how this is affecting me yet because it has only been a week, but I was struggling to stop consuming sugar before, so I think there was an addiction there. So far, my skin has reacted well, and I feel more even in my energy and mood.

4. Learn how to self-soothe and cut out negative thinking.

I began an "attacking anxiety" program and have been learning how to cope, calm myself, and think more positively. I catch myself having negative thoughts, which begin to drag me down and tank my mood. I started a journal to track these negative thoughts and rewrite them positively and truthfully. This is huge. We have so much to be grateful for in our lives and I want to live my life appreciating those wonderful things. I don't want to live fearfully or suspiciously.
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I encourage you to look at your lifestyle if you're struggling with anxiety. Be honest with yourself about what you need to improve on. There are things that I know I still need to improve, like my screen-time.

I am a work-in-progress and I am excited to see my future and what I can accomplish. I am really only 6 weeks into living my life fully, the way I want to live it, and I can never go back to the fear I lived with before. I want to achieve the goals that I always dreamed of reaching. Now, I know I can.

I am praying for you and cheering for you in your own journey. You can do it!